A parent warns that college soccer coaches keep secret lists and aren't always truthful, while Zev Taublieb describes losing a Cal Poly offer when a better player showed up. The advice: stay polite with coaches but skeptical of their promises, and don't dismiss Division II and III programs that show real interest.
Nobody will tell you how hopeless and how sad it feels when your son or daughter is not getting responses to the emails and videos she's sending out to try to get to college. College recruiting, it's like a swamp in a maze underwater, all combined together. Very difficult, particularly something you're new with. So having someone help you navigate, I wish we had it when my two sons, Zev and Ari, both went through the process. It was like being caught in like a murky swamp because there's so much information. And let me tell you something, harsh reality: you cannot trust these college coaches. The ones who do communicate with you, if you're lucky enough that they are, they have their secret list. You may be told you're here, but I've been through it personally, and you are here. You need help navigating this world, both for efficiency and for peace of mind. I'm just going to give you one tip as a parent with a son or daughter trying to play college soccer, and it's kind of a harsh one, is do not believe the coaches when they communicate with you. They have their lists of everybody they want. They don't know who's going to go where. So the thing is to be smart, to be polite, to be efficient in your communication, but take everything with a grain of salt because you don't really know what they're really thinking.
This experience where he's saying this is because I was given an offer to go to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and the offer was taken away from me. And he came and spoke to my father. We went on an official visit. We showed up thinking I was the guy, and there was another guy. And I then— I didn't get to go into the locker room even though he had promised it to us. So this is why my father's telling this story in particular, is because we thought we were told one thing, and the coach basically lied and said, look, if there's another kid who's better, there's better. Which is why you have to take advantage of D2s, D3s, or any coach that shows interest in you. Do not just write them off because they're not your top school. If you want more help, you're gonna comment, Dad. Dad.
